A Review of Granular Soil Fluidization Due to Pipe Water Leakage
Seyed Hamid Alavi
1
(
Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
)
Masoud Ghodsian
2
(
Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
)
Keywords: Granular soil fluidization, Water leakage, Seepage, Water distribution network,
Abstract :
The concentrated leakage flow from urban water supply pipes can lead to the fluidization of granular soils, which may cause significant damage to water infrastructure and surrounding areas. Numerous studies across various scientific disciplines, including civil engineering, have examined the fluidization of granular particles due to fluid flow. This review provides a comprehensive investigation of fluid flow through orifices and granular soils, with a particular focus on soil fluidization resulting from leakage in buried urban water pipelines. The covered topics include: flow through granular materials; flow through orifices; combined orifice and seepage flow in soils; pipe failure due to fluidization; fluidization initiation; existing studies and critiques; and conclusions with research suggestions. The review findings reveal that concentrated leakage is influenced not only by hydraulic head, but also by orifice geometry, soil gradation, pipe pressure, and fluid temperature. Studies indicate that increased internal pressure expands the fluidized zone both vertically and laterally, potentially leading to sinkholes. Coarse soils with lower porosity and higher surcharge exhibit less susceptibility to fluidization. The simultaneous interaction between orifice flow and seepage in soils highlights the need for advanced three-dimensional experimental and numerical models. Finally, future research is recommended on the effects of orifice spacing and pipe diameter changes, which remain underexplored.
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